There are nongovernmental organizations that need no introduction and have earned their fame and recognition through initiatives and peaceful protests. Greenpeace is, without a doubt, one of them, and the fact that it is visiting Valencia with one of its most iconic ships is big news—but even more so when it gives us the chance to tour the Arctic Sunrise completely free of charge.
The icebreaker and research vessel is the largest ship in Greenpeace’s fleet and has played a leading role in dozens of the organization’s campaigns since it was added to the fleet in 1995. The ship will be open to visitors at the Port of Valencia (next to the Marina pergola) this weekend: Friday, September 25, Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27. Visiting hours will be from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday; and from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with guided tours included.
In addition, on Tuesday the 22nd, various activities will take place, such as a meeting with United Nations rapporteurs (from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) with free admission until capacity is reached, the recording of a podcast with Climabar and Minister Sira Rego (from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.), and the premiere of a documentary on the Sagunto case followed by a discussion (from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.).
This very case is the reason why the Greenpeace ship has traveled to Valencia: to stand in solidarity with the 11 activists charged with blocking the entry of a gas tanker into the port of Sagunto in 2021. They are charged with aggravated public disorder, and the prosecutor has requested five years in prison for each of them—”one of the harshest sentences ever sought for environmental activism,” according to the organization.
Greenpeace displays a giant eye at the Hemisfèric as a protest
Just this morning, several Greenpeace activists unfurled the iris of a giant eye measuring 530 square meters on the roof of the Hemisfèric in Valencia, alongside two banners bearing the messages “The world is watching” and “Activism is not a crime.”
According to the environmental organization, the sentences sought by the Public Prosecutor’s Office are disproportionate, and they argue that the organization has already paid 160,000 euros in administrative fines as a result of this action. A total of 43 activists participated in this morning’s protest in solidarity with their colleagues facing charges, who will take part tomorrow in the actions organized aboard the Arctic Sunrise.
The Arctic Sunrise: the ship built to hunt seals and now fighting to save them
The history of the Arctic Sunrise is quite ironic and unique. Before becoming part of the environmental organization, the ship was built in 1975 as a vessel for hunting seals in the Arctic. However, in 1995, Greenpeace acquired it through a shell company, as its former owners were unwilling to sell it to an environmental NGO.
Due to its structure and design—engineered to glide over and rise above ice floes—this ship has participated in some of the organization’s most dangerous and high-profile campaigns. It is world-famous for its 2013 standoff with Russia, when its entire crew was detained by the Russian military during a peaceful protest against oil drilling in the Arctic.
